Assay sonication apparatus and methodology

1. A method for conducting an electrochemiluminescence assay to detect or quantitate an analyte comprising the steps of:

(a) introducing a composition containing an analyte of interest bound to an electrochemiluminescent moiety into a cell including a working electrode;

(b) sonicating said composition in said cell with means structurally coupled to said cell;

(c) applying electrical energy to said electrode to cause said electrochemiluminescent moiety to luminesce; and

(d) detecting or quantitating the electrochemiluminescence from said cell to detect or quantitate said analyte.

2. A method for conducting a binding assay comprising:

(a) introducing a composition into a cell, comprising (i) a solid phase support, the solid phase support having a binding reagent immobilized thereon to form a binding domain and (ii) a sonication device structurally coupled to the cell, wherein said composition comprises at least one binding component that binds to said binding reagent;

(b) sonicating the composition in the cell with the sonication device so as to increase the rate of binding reactions at the binding domain; and

(c) detecting or quantitating the results of the binding assay.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the solid phase support comprises at least one additional binding reagent immobilized thereon to form a plurality of discrete binding domains.

4. The method according to claim 2 wherein the cell comprises at least one additional solid phase support structurally coupled to the sonication device, the additional solid phase support having an additional binding reagent immobilized thereon to form an additional binding domain.

5. The method according to claim 2 wherein the solid phase support is an electrode.

6. The method according to claim 5 wherein the step of detecting or quantitating is performed using electrochemiluminescence.

7. The method according to claim 2 wherein the sonication device is a piezoelectric device.

8. The method according to claim 2 wherein the sonication device is an electromagnetic actuator.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8 wherein the sonication device is capable of providing sonication energy at from 0.1 to 10,000 kHz.

10. The method according to claim 2 , the cell further comprising thin capillaries, wherein operation of the sonication device increases the rate of fluid flow through the thin capillaries.

11. The method according to claim 2 wherein the solid phase support is structurally coupled, through a surface of the cell, to the sonication device.

12. The method according to claim 11 wherein the surface of the cell is a diaphragm.

13. A method of conducting a solid phase binding assay wherein the solid phase is structurally coupled to a sonication device, the method comprising:

(a) contacting the solid phase, said solid phase including a binding reagent, with a composition containing at least one binding component; and

(b) sonicating the solid phase with the sonication device so as to increase the rate of binding reaction of said binding component to said solid phase.